12.30.2010

I'm going to jump back a couple months to the beginning of the colorful fall weather. One of my dislikes about taking photos of snow is, the photos all tend to appear black and white, when the intent is a color photo.

12.28.2010

I awoke yesterday morning to a great winter treat. During the middle of the night, a thick frost or fog rolled into my area and frosted the smaller tree branches, giving them a "fuzzy" look. It was quite a sight to see. I didn't snap as many photos as I would have liked as I was on my way into work. Lucky for me I took the photos when I did, as I made my way closer to work, the sun broke through the clouds and the frost disappeared.

12.24.2010

12.23.2010

If you look closely at this photo, on the left side of the hallway, above the store entrance is the Apple logo. This store has all of the latest ipod's, iphone's, mac books and everything else related to Apples product line. During the first week in November of 2010, right across the hallway, the competition moved in. The logo above the store on the right side of the hallway belongs to Microsoft. They of course have their xbox, Windows Phone, Zune's, and the rest of their product line. I do have to hand it to Microsoft for moving into Apple's neighborhood. I wonder if they were offered a house warming gift?

12.20.2010

This contribution photo shows a robin who stayed behind for the winter months in Minnesota. Unfortunately, this robin was here for the blizzard weather we received last weekend. The photo shows a heated bird bath outside the home of SWC, which the robin, I believe was enjoying, despite the frigged weather.

12.15.2010

From my comment section from yesterday's photo, St Paul blogger, Kate [welcome back], mentioned my sitting bench with a delicate snow pattern was definitely not from our recent blizzard that made the national news. She was absolutely correct stating if it was from the blizzard, the bench would have been covered. Here is the proof!

12.13.2010

Now this is what I need to clear my driveway of snow. It would be much faster than my current method. This plow drove by my window, just as I was taking photos of the snow falling. Yep, it does look like he is on his cell phone....haha!

12.04.2010

This business has changed hands since I last visited the building. It's been 25 plus years at least. From my childhood days, this was the laundromat that my mother and I went too when our home machine was broken?. I remember playing with the laundry carts that were there for use. Plus I remember opening and closing all of the unused machines. What it is today, looks like a picture frame shop, but I didn't get much closer than this photo.

11.29.2010

If you're in Minneapolis, and looking for a place to tour, be sure to visit the Mill City Museum. There is a great history to the flour mills that lined the Mississippi River in Minnesota over the years. The Mill Tour is a must visit.

11.11.2010

One of the unusual attractions at the Minnesota State Fair are the butter sculptures. There are about a dozen princess selected from various cities from the state. Each princess will have her likeness sculpted in a 90 pound block of real butter. Each sculpture takes six to eight hours to complete with the princess sitting inside the glass booth, which is kept at a temperature of 40F degrees. Once the fair is over, each princess Kay finalist takes her sculpture home.

11.10.2010

I'm not sure what the name of the store is today, though it looks like it sells household goods. I'm not sure if it's new or used goods, perhaps both. However, when I lived in this neighborhood, it was the place we called for pizza. "Carbones on Smith" was how they answered the phone, they delivered. While Carbones is gone from this location, there are a number of stores throughout the Twin Cities that thrive today.

11.08.2010

On November 7, 1915, the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory opened it's doors, 95 years later, it's still the major draw to the Como Park Zoo. The conservatory displays five seasonal flowers shows annually in addition to the permanent botanical collections of palms, ferns, economic plants, orchids, bromeliads and select tropical plant species.

11.06.2010

I took this photo on September 19 while walking on 7th Street in St Paul. I revisit the area on October 30th and all of the plants are now gone. Which makes sense as winter is around the corner....sigh

11.04.2010

My wife and I love to visit the Eagle Street Grill on 7th Street and Wabasha in St Paul. It always seams like we visit there in the colder months and have never sat in their outdoor seating. If you've never stopped here before or are looking for a new place, I highly recommend it.

10.27.2010

This silo is a storage bin that holds up to 1000 pounds of wood chips. Which is the amount the District Energy plant burns in one day. The clean energy power plant is used to create electricity, heating, and cooling for the St Paul downtown and nearby areas. In the past, I've referred to this power plant as the 'smoke factory'.

10.24.2010

These two guys on top of the van, were up on the roof of the vehicle for nearly two hours while I was tailgating for the Vikings versus Cowboys football game. Whomever you two are, thank you for the photo opportunity. Go Vikes!

10.23.2010

10.22.2010

Before each Vikings games, as I'm sure happens in every city hosting a football game, there are several designated tailgate lots. In these lots they allow everyone to grill, drink beverages and party before the game starts. The designated lots also provide port-a-potties and a barrel to dump your hot coals into. There is an extra cost to park in these lots, $55 dollars to be exact. Quite steep if you ask me, but a couple blocks away, in lots that do not allow tailgating, you'll pay $20-25 for parking.

10.21.2010

I didn't take the time to listen to his story, I probably wouldn't have care too much for it, but I did like the photo opportunity. Throw the One Way sign and the guy leaning up against the post into the frame and it really adds to the story, eh?